I am just returning from a Mexican tour of Contes pour enfants pas sages. This young audience production that I co-created, co-directed and co-produced with Pierre-Paul Savoie of PPS Danse, has been touring for over 3 years in its French version throughout Québec. We recently premiered the Spanish version Cuentos para niños traviesos for the prestigious Festival Internacional de Cervantino in Guanajuato, as well as conducting workshops and continued to Léon to a sold-out performance for 1,350 people. We ended the tour in Mérida, as part of the Festival de la Cultura Maya. There is a superb review of the show as well as more photographs from the production on the Instituto Cultural de León website.

Cuentos para niños traviesos
Photo by Gabriel Morales

On October 9th, What makes a Man premiered at the Berkeley Street Theatre, a production inspired by the songs of Charles Aznavour. Alongside Jennifer Tarver, Artistic Director of Necessary Angel and director of WMAM, I acted as movement and staging collaborator. We had an amazing team of singers, musicians and top notch designers and technical crew members.

I had the pleasure to collaborate as an Artistic Advisor for Sylvie Bouchard of BoucharDanse for her beautiful latest work L’éternel voyage at Harbourfront Centre Theatre.

In Winnipeg, I just finished a week as Artistic Advisor in dramaturgy, voice and music for Treasure Waddell’s young audience production of Pippi Longstocking to premiere December 19th, 2014, as well as teaching technique classes at the School of Contemporary Dancers. On my way to Vancouver for meetings as well as leading a composition class at the Simon Fraser University.

Ongoing since this summer is the development of 8 new short works to premiere in 2016-17. I am grateful for receiving a 3 year grant from the TAC pilot program in support of long term creation grants. I was fortunate as well to be the recipient of a one week residency at the Winchester Street Theatre supported by Toronto Dance Theatre, as well as another week’s residency at the Market Hall in Peterborough. This December I will undertake another creative period for this project Cornucopia inspired from my latest large scale production of petites danses of January 2014.

WORKSHOP: "IN THE BODY". As a recent venture, this tailor made workshop for performers and non-performers alike had a successful beginning this past August. I will be offering this workshop again the week of December 15th. Workshop description and registration here.

How do we see music? How do we hear dance? It is from this premise that Chartier has created a programme of petites danses in response to two specific works by Canadian composers Linda Catlin Smith and John M. Sherlock. This new production brings together a stellar mix of twenty-five performers, two lighting designers and one filmmaker to premiere these works all created by choreographer and director Marie-Josée Chartier.